Happy New Years Eve! Lets hope that the Mayans predictions are as accurate as mine have been so far. Let's double up and briefly discuss the past two games.
Game 2 Predictions:
1) Chandler has a double double with 13+ boards. If I'm not mistaken Tyson went to Dominguez High School before getting drafted by the Clips with the #2 overall pick. I know I already referenced the backdrop of Jeremy Lin returning "home" but this is a West Coast kid returning home after shunning his state for the almighty dollar. He
is going to want to go H.A.M.
RESPONSE:
It seems as if I confused my game 1 Tyson prediction with my game 2 Tyson prediction. Chandler couldn't stay on the floor for more than 4 minutes without hacking someone. He didn't sniff double digit rebounds or points and looked lost on both ends of the floor. I watched every minute, highlights, and then re-watched highlights on my NBATV app. Couldn't find one positive from his performance.
2) Toney Douglas shoots less, looks more composed and has a better game although the box score won't reflect it. For all of Rondo's offensive prowess against TD what is lost in the discussion is Rondo's All-NBA defense, freakish long arms and the desire to shut down his opponent. Toney picked up his dribble too early against the C's and couldn't run the offense. Mark Jackson will try to force his guards to do the same thing, but they're not Rondo, and there is no K.G. around the corner to scare Toney into picking up his dribble.
RESPONSE:
No, no, and no. TD is not a point and should relinquish the starting role to Bibby immediately. I don't think Bibby is the answer but he is a real point. With him at the helm there is a change we can at least get into offensive sets that will develop into a style of play. Once this happens we can try to expose the opponents weaknesses. As of now, one on one chuck it if ya got it has us playing Rucker Park Ball, and losing. TD is to blame, and its a shame because he is a good player playing out of position.
3) Steve Novak gets open looks and makes em count. Shooters shoot. With an injury to Jeffries and some length on the Warriors I see Steve "Corner Trey" Novak seeing significant time and trying to hide in the corner. No one puts baby in the corner, but D'Antoni puts Novak in the corner, and he could just go Schwayze.
RESPONSE: Bango. 1 for 1 is not exactly "Schwayze" but he did drill a corner triple in limited minutes. With no offensive scheme to speak of we can't get him to be the corner dweller he needs to be. Hopefully the offense develops to the point where he can be our rendition of San Antonio's Bruce Bowen, minus the defense.
4) Mark Jackson makes a questionable coaching move that he is asked about during the post game. Jax is still NY, knows that we're watching and has the ego that all NY point guards have. He wants a little spotlight so he grabs some. Hope I'm wrong about this and if I am it is because he thought about this very fact and decided to lay low.
RESPONSE: Nice Win Jax. Your team played uninspired ball for the first half and came out in the 2nd and took advantage of some weaknesses that the Knicks exhibited in the first 24 minutes. The Warriors played great D, got contribution from everyone who stepped on the floor and thoroughly outplayed the Knicks in every facet despite not having Steph and in spite of Monta Ellis awful shooting performance. Be pleased Warrior fans, if this game is any indication Mark Jackson knows what he is doing.
Game 3 Predictions:
(1) Kobe plays facilitator and fills the stat sheet. The Knicks are susceptible to transition D, face cuts and slashers. Kobe can read a Defense and audible like Peyton Manning. In early season games MJ would employ the death by a 1000 cuts game plan to perfection. Getting his teammates involved and developing a repoire with them that paid dividends at the end of the year. We see Kobe do that tonight My only question is; Can Steve Blake, Josh McRoberts and Troy Murphy be Paxson, Wennington and Cartwright for the evening?
RESPONSE: I think I got this right. Kobe scored as Kobe scores but as the Lakers pulled away they did so with the supporting cast making it happen on both ends. Blake hit two three's in the 4th that resulted in me actually shutting the game off before the final whistle. McRoberts had some great cuts to the hoop and was fed for easy hoops and Murphy was generally a pain to deal with.
(2) We keep the game close but lose the game on the defensive end with breakdowns in the 4th quarter. I can't count how many times we have looked around after an easy bucket playing "Who's on Third?" This is coaching but with a short camp, a overhauled roster and no defensive structure to speak of before this year we will lose a lot of games because of defensive lapses.
RESPONSE: Close? Not really. Defensive breakdowns being our downfall? Maybe? You can't shoot sub 40% and win in this league. Similarly, you can't let another team shoot 70% for a half and expect to win. Dangerous combination of bad defense, and a hot team. I am chalking this game up to just "one of those games". God, I hope I am right.
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